T'aa Kel was born on 4006 BBY or on the planet Arda 2994. Her parents were a low level noble family. The nobles of this world are Ilfirim. Near humans by galactic standards, but so much more. Firimar and Ilfirim were all human at one point. The planet was settled 2994 years ago. There was another sentient species that lived on the planet, called the Ardaksu. The colonists knew nothing about them and couldn't have realized that they were sentient, but they found that they were good at processing waste products. It wasn't until year fifteen that they knew something was strange about them. In an attempt to communicate Ardaksu shaped themselves into the image of anyone who looked at them. These little shapeshifters as they massed no more than two kilos became pets as well.

This went well for many years until a old Ardaksu breeder was murdered and fell into one of his vats that contained twenty units. His wound was fatal, but human DNA was easy for these Ardaksu to decode and they healed the breeder. One of them entered his body and rapidly healed him of the wound. The success of healing one of the feeders had the rest of the Ardaksu excited and they tried as best as they could to merge with the feeders. Many fell ill as the Ardaksu merged with their DNA. By the time half the population was infected it was too late for them. Of the twenty million colonists seventy percent were infected by the time they figured out it was the Ardaksu. Ninety percent by the time they had a cure. At this point it was too late. The cure saved ten million from the Ardaksu as only a handful never got sick. These people became Ilfirim and the cured became Firimar. The ten percent that got the cure before becoming infected were slowly bred to extinction, not that it was a bad thing.

Their descendants lived longer than a normal human living well past their hundredth year. Most averaging one hundred and twenty without advanced medical care. They are the Firimar. The Ilfirim are the ones who changed after time. That old man within six months looked as young as a teenager, and so did the others. As they got older they remained in top condition remaining at a physical age of eighteen. Over time they figured out they were not aging and banded together at first loosely then as a political group. They started early on to keep their lines clean. As they reached two hundred their experience and their holdings slowly made them rich as well as powerful.

This power didn't make them overly greedy, but it made it hard for any Firimar to acquire land unless they moved out into the wild. The Ilfirim slowly became rulers or in positions that were held for life. After five hundred years they were considered nobility. Another part of their society were force users. They brought with them the teaching of the jedi, but the Ardaksu symbiotes made it difficult to sense the force, but allowed them to greatly boost their Chi or inner Force. No Ilfirim could become Chi users, but the original seven Jed'aii. They became known as living gods. Each fulfilled a role and balanced out the growing power of the nobles. Follnor for protection, Tina for hope, Narim for honor, Parkin for healing, Toval for Love, Nira for justice, and Huine for darkness or death. They all died during the dark ages, but the Order of Arda was a solid fixture in the world. They helped pull the people out of the dark ages.

Their world was a balance of life and death, peace and war.

Eight years later. 3998 BBY

"T'aa Kel you can not go." her father demanded.

"I have been invited, and I have passed their tests." she countered.

"You are too young to know what is a good or bad decision." her father argued.

"I am at the top of my class. Three grades higher and still I am barely challenged. I am better in martial arts and in melee weapons then others my size. I pushed someone down last week and I was three meters away." T'aa Kel informed her father. "I test out four years older for maturity, Father. It may not be a big difference to you, but do you see any other eight year olds that act like I do?"

"You are eight and you do not know the political and social problems this family will face. I have hired private tutors and instructors. They will know of your gift, but they will shield you from exposure." he stated. "Please hold off on this decision until later."

"Father if I go to the order I will learn to control my gift. No one is allowed to see the students. Only when they become apprenticed to a master do they follow in public. It will be ten years before I reach that level." T'aa Kel explained. "Again I will have to decide if I want to go further."

"You are Ilfirim none of us have ever had a powerful connection to our Chi Force. If it comes out you will be loved and hated. A living goddess is not what this world needs." he stated. "I forbid it and that is final."

"I don't believe in legends. They were Jed'aii is all. They still died. They still killed each other over human failings." she fired at him. He was suddenly angry and he hit her hard enough to send her flying back. She flipped over and the shock on both their faces was severe, but T'aa Kel screamed and shot out her arms and the telekinetic push slammed her father against the wall. For five hundred years her father had feared no one, but he feared his eight year old daughter that day.

Eight years later 3990 BBY

"Kelta come on they are picking the finalists for apprenticeship." Nico urged. "Hurry up."

"Okay." Kelta replied. She adjusted her sash one last time and hurried after him. It had been eight years since she walked out on her family. She learned a lot about life she never knew in the three months it took her to cross the country to enter this temple. All they saw was a nameless waif with much potential. Since then she learned more than she ever could with her family. She sat next to Nico as the arena slowly filled up. This years candidates were stretching and warming up for the trial to be chosen by the assembled masters. Today Kelta was secretly celebrating her fourteenth birthday. The elders her thought she was three when she limped into the temple and many still mistook her for eight.

She watched all the hopefuls enter the area and waited patiently for the board to flip the names for the first matches. She tried to study each fight. Seeing their strengths and weaknesses as they fought the mistakes they made and they successes. After the first three rounds each was then ranked and the final battles took place. These fights were scored not fully on who won, but how they fought. Kelta saw who the winner was even before the matches ended. She just knew. The final two fought for nearly and hour before the first mistake was made and not acted upon. She wondered why he didn't as he made the next mistake and the other won the fight. The girl couldn't believe it and Kelta felt he had given her the win.

The judges were tied on who was the best fighter. Master Hotin walked slowly out and bowed to each of them. "Students, masters, these two fought with skill and honor, so I would like to vote for both of them, but this is not according to custom, so Renva I choose as they better fighter." He picked the girl, and the boy smiled as she frowned.

"Master I beg you to reconsider. Deklo has bested me for the last year. I know he gave me the win." she argued. "He is the better fighter."

"Apprentice Renva my decision is final. Come I have much to teach you." Master Hotin stated. She was shocked that he had not only declared her to be the winner but that he chose her as his apprentice. "Will you accept?"

"I will master." she replied, and Kelta felt her vibrating. This puzzled her. How could she feel how she felt from fifty feet away? Other masters came out and made their choices until every candidate was chosen. Master Genon shuffled out on to the arena floor. Master Hotin turned to face the elder master.

"Master Genon do you want to close the ceremony?" he asked.

"No I came to pick an apprentice." he replied. "Then you can close the ceremony."

"But all the candidates have been chosen, and you haven't had an apprentice for years." Hotin stated.

"I have enough years in me still and I will still choose." Genon replied. "Her." Kelta's heart skipped a beat as he pointed at her.

"That is the eighth class none are ready." Hotin countered.

"No she is ready. She can see what the others cannot." Genon stated. "Come here child." Kelta slowly stood as five other girls did as well. Maybe he didn't point at her so she sat back down. The five started to move. "Not you girls the one that sat back down."

"You want Kelta?" Hotin asked. "She does well in training and in the classroom, but she need a bit more self discipline and balance."

"She has that and more. She has been holding herself back more than Deklo did during the match." Genon countered. "Come child." Kelta slowly stood and moved even slower to enter the arena. "Hurry up now. We don't have all day." She moved a bit faster and then bowed to the two masters. "Now Kelta do you want to be my apprentice?"

"I am too young I am not ready." she replied.

"Perhaps, but who won the last fight?" Genon asked. "Your decision."

"Deklo controlled most of the fight. To him it was a dance. Yet Renva fought with all her heart and spirit. She remained balanced the entire time. Where Deklo felt guilt and pity. He fought well and better than she did, but his heart wasn't in defeating her as he wanted her to finally win. He loves her." The crowd of students gasped loud enough to be heard and even Hotin was a bit disturbed, but Genon smiled. Deklo was close enough that she felt his embarrassment and so was Renva as she was bubbling with joy. Genon raised an eyebrow at this and then smiled.

"Very good, but you felt this from way up there?" he asked. "Or did you feel it?"

"I felt it... I mean..." she stopped. The shock on Hotin's face told her she shouldn't have felt anything from them. "I accept your offer of apprenticeship, Master Genon." The sudden acceptance distracted all but Master Hotin, but he didn't speak his mind.

"Then come along we shall have some tea." Genon stated and she followed right behind him.

He said nothing while he made tea and not during the time that they drank the tea either. Kelta felt nervous the entire time and barely drank half of her cup. He refilled her cup and then smiled.

"Now young noble it is time you told the truth." he revealed. Kelta nearly dropped her cup, but he caught it with a flick of his finger and guided it to the table. "It is not good to waste excellent tea."

"I am sorry master." she mumbled. "But you are mistaken I am no noble."

"Ah but you are. More noble than the nobles themselves." Genon replied. "I knew the moment I first saw you seven years ago. The others didn't see it, but I spent enough time around the Ilfirim to know. You still carry yourself as one, yet you guard it better."

"If you knew than why didn't you say anything?" she asked.

"How could I. No other master would believe that a Ilfirim could be Kishi or Jed'aii for that matter." Genon replied. "Do you know the difference?"

"A Kishi uses Chi their inner life force. A Jed'aii uses all life force." she answered.

"Yes, but you shouldn't know that. It is not taught until after you are apprenticed." he explained. "It is however taught in many noble families. They follow the Jed'aii gods closer than even us Kishi."

"I know more than that as they were just men and women, not gods." Kelta stated. "Deities never die."

"But they do when they are forgotten. The Force is everything. It is life, death, creation, and destruction. It is in all things both natural and unnatural. The difference is that we can feel it, use it, and for some, abuse it as well. Some think to use anything, but Chi is to be used as the force is out of balance. Yet that is because they have never learned how to access it. You do it without even thinking about it."

"Is that why you chose me?" Kelta asked.

"Perhaps or maybe it was because you are a decedent of all seven Jed'aii or that you are the lost child of Kel. T'aa Kel herself." He revealed. She was completely shocked. "Today is your birthday, sixteen, or seventeen and eight months since conception as some count age." She wondered how he knew this all. How could he know and not have told her parents? "As shocking as this maybe. It is not as shocking as my decision to remain silent, but then again I would have an apprentice now would I?" She shook her head and gave him a weak smile.